preparing
What do you actually need before baby arrives?
A short, honest guide to the essentials, and the things that can wait.
There is no manual. There is a map.
Motherhood is unpredictable, which is exactly why a little structure helps. Follow twelve months of stage-by-stage guidance, checklists and gentle routines, and take from it whatever suits you and your baby.
Where are you right now? Tap your baby's month.
It's 2 a.m.
The house is quiet, the baby has finally settled, and instead of sleeping you're searching for answers on your phone. You find seven, and they contradict each other. Somewhere in there is the thing you needed, but you're too tired to tell which.
That's not a flaw in you. That's what unfiltered information does to a tired mind.
Think of it as a companion that grows with your baby.
When a new stage begins you open the matching chapter and find what to prepare, what to think about and which questions might be worth bringing to your healthcare professional. When the stage ends, you move on to the next.
Months 1–2
The newborn weeks
A gentle checklist for the first days at home: what to keep within reach, who to call for help, what to ask at the first check-ups. Plus a short page on looking after yourself, because you're recovering too, and that matters.
Newborn to twelve months, organized by stage.
- Stage-by-stage guidanceon sleep, feeding, routines and preparation
- Printable checklistsfor the fridge, the bag or the phone
- Monthly pagesfor each of the twelve months
- Question promptsto take to your doctor or midwife
Everything you might reach for, arranged so you can find it in under a minute.
a peek inside one chapter
Stage 2Finding a rhythm
Ideas for building a loose daily rhythm rather than a rigid schedule, with space to note what seems to work for your baby, what doesn't and what you'd like to ask your healthcare professional at the next appointment.
Stage 2 · Months 3–4
Our day, roughly
- morning
- midday
- afternoon
- evening
- Seems to work
- a slow walk after the late-morning feed
- Doesn't, yet
- the same bedtime every single night
- To ask at the next appointment
- is it okay that naps vary this much?
Sample page. Your version fills in with your own notes.
For new moms in the middle of it.
For the ones in month two who wonder what month three looks like. The Map offers a look ahead and a place to put your questions.
Notes from other moms
“Every other resource made me feel like I was doing it wrong. This one didn't. It felt like a friend who'd been through it.”
“I liked that there's no single right way. I could change the routine ideas until they fit us.”
Standing in a shop aisle with forty versions of the same thing? So have we.
The free New Mom Starter Checklist narrows it down to the essentials, so you can shop less, scroll less and feel a little more organized.
The checklist is on its way.
Check your inbox in a minute or two. If it's not there, peek in the promotions or spam folder.
The Journal
Short, calm reads for the days between milestones. From building an evening rhythm to giving yourself a break, The Journal covers the small things that add up to a first year.
- first weeks
The first two weeks at home: a gentle guide
What to keep within reach, who to ask for help and why it's fine to keep the days simple.
- routines
How to build a loose routine (without a strict schedule)
Rhythms rather than rules: a flexible way to shape your days as your baby grows.
- for you
Taking care of you: small things that count
Ten-minute ideas for looking after yourself when there isn't much time.
Make the first year a little easier to navigate.
You don't need to have everything figured out. You just need somewhere to start. The Motherhood Map is here whenever a new stage begins.
Get The Motherhood MapThe Motherhood Map is educational and does not replace advice from a qualified healthcare professional.